The Canadian Horticulturist. 151 



The peas ! I almost had forgot ; 

 (But I'll not turn like Mrs. Lot). 

 There's empty pods ; but gobbled marrows, 

 Gobbled by dare-deevil sparrows. 



I 11 thraw * them craps ; why should I not ? 



I may be wrang, as I often am, 



But since ye ate my marrowfats 



And built a nest in my scare crow's vest, 



I'm advised to gie ye " rough on rats." 



All winter I hae fill'd your wames, f 

 Gied a warm cheemlie for your hames ; 

 How could ye see me sair forfoughten, * 

 Driving ye frae my peas sae often ? 



Tae tak your lives I wadna ettle, || 



Tae peck your wale § o' worms and settle ; •; 



What ! refuse sic chuffie worms as these ? 



A mensfu ** treat to a braw Chineese ; 



Trowth ! I canna say anither word. 



Or tulizie here wi' sic a bird. 



— Gli^NDMA GOWAN. 



NOTES ON VEGETABLE GARDENING IN MIDDLESEX 



COUNTY.— I. 



i Q QQ HAS gone, and with it many failures, both to the fruit grower and 

 1 J the farmer, which may help both to learn some very important 

 lessons for the future, and to be prepared for any kind of weather 

 that may come, whether it be extremes of either wet or dry, for we have had 

 our share of both this last year. January was mostly very mild, but it 

 closed up with snow, and then in February we got our winter, with one or 

 two of the coldest days ever felt here. Then Spring came in cold and dry, 

 followed in May by very severe frosts, which injured most of the fruit in this 

 part. This was followed by shower after shower of rain, until every creek 

 and river was taxed to its utmost to carry away the surplus water, often 

 doing much damage to public roads, and also to garden crops and small 

 fruits generally. This completely prevented the keeping of them clean, for 

 the ground seldom got dry enough to be fit to work the hoe in it. Then 

 came one of the driest harvests that we have had for some years, some days 

 with the thermometer away up to gy°, and even as high as 102° in the 

 shade, and now we have the warmest winter that I ever have seen. One 

 year ago last Spring, I obtained a package of (Bisse's Hybridized) potato 



* Thraw, twist. + Wame, the belly, t Forfoughten, fatigue. || Ettle, try. § Wale, choice. •" Settle 

 become quiet. * * Mensfu, abundant. 



